Food Safety In Philippines How To Protect Yourself?

[Old55]

What precautions do you take when you buy and prepare food?As far as I know nothing we have eaten while is Philippines have made us ill. My mother in law will cook food in the morning and let it sit covered on the dining room table all day. I see the same thing in the marketplace cooked food sitting out for God knows how long. E. Coli is killed after 15 seconds at 140 deg F we know cooking meat to the correct temperature insures bacteria are not an issue. Washing fruit and vegetables can remove contamination. When your helper or wife buys from the market they have a favorite vendor I guess they insure quality product to their regular buyers?I’ve learned when eating street food if it is grilled at point of purchase it’s likely to be safe to eat even in unsanitary conditions. I’m just curious what others do to insure that it won’t be your last meal.

[Jake]

What precautions do you take when you buy and prepare food?As far as I know nothing we have eaten while is Philippines have made us ill. My mother in law will cook food in the morning and let it sit covered on the dining room table all day. I see the same thing in the marketplace cooked food sitting out for God knows how long. E. Coli is killed after 15 seconds at 140 deg F we know cooking meat to the correct temperature insures bacteria are not an issue. Washing fruit and vegetables can remove contamination. When your helper or wife buys from the market they have a favorite vendor I guess they insure quality product to their regular buyers?I’ve learned when eating street food if it is grilled at point of purchase it’s likely to be safe to eat even in unsanitary conditions. I’m just curious what others do to insure that it won’t be your last meal.

You know one of the things I found frustrating as an Americanized Filipino are the unsanitary conditions of everythingthere. Street vendors recently coming back from the nearest wall, spitting, littering, mystery meat and vegetables,fly in my soup, etc, etc. And yet, I would hardly read news articles concerning that. Personally, I usually get the runsfor a couple days after my very first San Magoo beer. After that I'm good to go. If it pass the smell test and has no obvious signs of "crawlers", I would consume it with a San Magoo to wash it down....he, he.Respectfully -- Jake Edited January 25, 2011 by Jake
Jake can't spell

[Inspector]

What precautions do you take when you buy and prepare food?As far as I know nothing we have eaten while is Philippines have made us ill. My mother in law will cook food in the morning and let it sit covered on the dining room table all day. I see the same thing in the marketplace cooked food sitting out for God knows how long. E. Coli is killed after 15 seconds at 140 deg F we know cooking meat to the correct temperature insures bacteria are not an issue. Washing fruit and vegetables can remove contamination. When your helper or wife buys from the market they have a favorite vendor I guess they insure quality product to their regular buyers?I’ve learned when eating street food if it is grilled at point of purchase it’s likely to be safe to eat even in unsanitary conditions. I’m just curious what others do to insure that it won’t be your last meal.

You know one of the things I found frustrating as an Americanized Filipino are the unsanitary conditions of everythingthere. Street vendors recently coming back from the nearest wall, spitting, littering, mystery meat and vegetables,fly in my soup, etc, etc. And yet, I would hardly read news articles concerning that. Personally, I usually get the runsfor a couple days after my very first San Magoo beer. After that I'm good to go. If it pass the smell test and has no obvious signs of "crawlers", I would consume it with a San Magoo to wash it down....he, he.Respectfully -- Jake

:lol:Damn Jake, you always are making me grin. Crawlers?...hahaha, I should write a first visit to the Philippines post when I was 18 years old, and my crawler stories. :th_thholysheep:Let's just say I now know the difference between rice and maggots...maggots crawl in your mouth after you eat them, and they still taste brutal even after soy sauce. Edited January 25, 2011 by Jake
Jake can't spell

[Art2ro]

From what I've heard and observed, is that most types of Filipino adobo dishes can be left out for a longer period of time before it spoils! When in doubt, any cooked foods after reaching room temperature should be placed in the refrigerator and only reheat portions that will be eaten immediately!

[Old55]

There is an ongoing fight in Cebu to do with imported meat undercutting the price of the local product. The locals claim the imported meat is contaminated and want it banned. This week the government stepped in and did some meat inspections and the results are not good. http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=651849&publicationSubCategoryId=107

[Jollygoodfellow]

There is an ongoing fight in Cebu to do with imported meat undercutting the price of the local product. The locals claim the imported meat is contaminated and want it banned. This week the government stepped in and did some meat inspections and the results are not good. http://www.philstar....bCategoryId=107

Maybe they need to look at the storage of meats not the origin.

This report however was strongly criticized as being biased.The food technologists, who conducted the said study, however, clarified that only one sample each was taken from the two markets and it does not follow that all the local meat in the said markets were contaminated with bacteria.

It also said there are over 50 chorizo makers in the one market,so instead of trying to blame imported meat look at the storage and preparation areas of the manufacturing.

[Mr Lee]

It is not much safer in the USA and might even be more dangerous due to the use of antibiotic in animals meant for food.Potential for 'Super Bugs' in Meat, Dairy Products Alarms RegulatorsBacteria that cause food poisoning but are resistant to drugs pose a serious health hazard, say food regulators, and should be a national priority since these "super bugs" have not been effectively controlled.At a one-day conference in Washington, D.C., co-sponsored by the nonprofit consumer group Center for Science in the Public Interest and The Pew Charitable Trusts, food safety experts and officials agreed that decades-long misuse of antibiotics on the nation's farms has been largely responsible for the steady increase in e.coli, salmonella and other food-related outbreaks in recent years."The problem has clearly emerged with respect to some high-risk foods," said CSPI food safety director Caroline Smith DeWaal in a statement. "Both humans and animals rely on antibiotics to stay healthy. But overuse in some sectors may squander their effectiveness and leave consumers vulnerable to hard-to-treat foodborne infections."The complete story HERE